CVE-2026-15023

Events Manager <= 7.4.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) SQL Injection via 'meta_key' Parameter in Event/Location Duplicate Action

2026-08-24 13:24
Dmitrii Ignatyev

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 7.4.1
Affected Version
<= 7.4.0
CVSS
6.5Medium
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE-2026-15023
View all Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-15023 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Events Manager WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 7.4.0. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 7.4.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2026, reported by Dmitrii Ignatyev.

Vulnerability Overview

The Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, and more! plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via Stored 'meta_key' via Event/Location Duplicate Action in all versions up to, and including, 7.4.0 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. This is a second-order SQL injection: an attacker first plants SQL metacharacters in a custom meta key via the standard add-meta flow (WordPress stores these verbatim in wp_postmeta), then triggers the injection by invoking the event_duplicate or location_duplicate action, which reads the stored meta keys via get_post_meta() and concatenates them unsafely into the INSERT query.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality.

CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

Events Manager <= 7.4.0 carries this weakness at meta_key, and reaching it takes an account at Contributor level or above. SQL injection happens when request data is concatenated into a query instead of being bound as a parameter, letting an attacker change the structure of the statement rather than just its values.

A working injection can read any table the database user can see, which on a WordPress install means user records, password hashes and session or API secrets stored in options. For Events Manager the fix is 7.4.1: builds <= 7.4.0 are affected, anything from 7.4.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 7.4.1, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Contributor access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Events Manager 7.4.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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